Wildlife Photographer of the Year launches its People's Choice Award

Wildlife Photographer of the year 2021
The ice bear cometh… (Image credit: Andy Skillen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

The Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 competition crowned its winner, Laurent Ballesta, earlier in October with his unique image of camouflaged grouper fish. However, the competition is not yet over as a People's Choice Award has been launched to discover the public's favorite wild image.

The 25 featured images had been shortlisted by the Natural History Museum from a pool of over 50,000 entries submitted from 95 countries. The PCA images are being displayed at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, from now up until the voting period ends on 2 February 2022. 

· Read More: Explosion creation: Wildlife Photographer of the Year won by shot of fish mating frenzy

This year’s unforgettable 25 scenes include curious meerkats, a sea of zebra, the rescue of an Amazon river dolphin, an adorable arctic fox breathing out cold air, a bear cub napping in a tree next to a bald eagle and a kangaroo with her joey framed by fire-destructed scenery. Some truly spectacular images have been shortlisted this year and you can vote for your favorite image here.

Hope in a burned plantation (Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is a global platform for both amateur and professional photographers alike with the featured and chosen images viewed by millions of people worldwide. The Competition and exhibition both showcase the beauty and diversity of the natural world, in many cases calling for its protection. 

Researcher at the Natural History Museum and member of the judging panel, Dr Natalie Cooper shares that: "The People’s Choice Award offers striking observations of nature and our relationship with it, sparking our curiosity and strengthening our connection with the natural world. It’s an incredible challenge to pick just one of these images, so we’re looking forward to discovering which wild moment emerges as the public’s favourite."

Breath of an Arctic fox (Image credit: Marco Gaiotti / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

The eagle and the bear (Image credit: Jeroen Hoekendijk / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

The winning image overall from the People's Choice Awards will be showcased at the Natural History Museum until the exhibition closes on 5 June 2022, with the top five images to be displayed online joining the previous winners from the 57th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

The 58th edition of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is still accepting entries with the approaching deadline and closing date of 9 December 2021 at 11:30 am , GMT. Please note that there is an entrance fee to submit images for this competition, although, the fee has been waived if entering from a specified country, you can find full entry details here

The winner and four highly commended runner-up images will be revealed on 9 February 2022.

· Read More:

Best camera for wildlife photography
Best lenses for bird photography and wildlife
10 ultimate locations for wildlife photographers
The best portable hides and camouflage gear

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Beth Nicholls
Staff Writer

A staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has an extensive background in various elements of technology with five years of experience working as a tester and sales assistant for CeX. After completing a degree in Music Journalism, followed by obtaining a Master's degree in Photography awarded by the University of Brighton, she spends her time outside of DCW as a freelance photographer specialising in live music events and band press shots under the alias 'bethshootsbands'.